Our Work in Guyana

In Guyana, our work begins by placing books where children can use them. Reading Rooms create dedicated environments for reading and discovery, while Reading Corners make books readily available within classrooms and community spaces. Book Donations provide additional titles so children can encounter a wider range of stories, subjects, and reading levels.

Our Literacy Programs provide opportunities to turn that access into stronger reading skills. Training & Support works alongside educators and community partners so that books become active learning resources rather than simply materials stored on a shelf.

The Library Project also supports the organizations working closest to children and families. Capacity Building helps local literacy nonprofits strengthen their programs, planning, fundraising, and organizational systems so they are better positioned to create lasting impact in their communities.

Literacy in Guyana

Guyana has made progress in education, but foundational literacy remains an important area for continued investment. The nationally representative 2019–20 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey found that 61.6 percent of children ages 7 to 14 demonstrated foundational reading skills based on Grade 2-level reading and comprehension tasks. This means that nearly four in ten children assessed had not yet demonstrated all of the expected foundational skills.

The same assessment found a notable gender difference: 66 percent of girls demonstrated foundational reading skills compared with 56.9 percent of boys. Recent national initiatives demonstrate that literacy remains an education priority. In 2025, Guyana’s Ministry of Education launched revised national literacy programs spanning nursery through secondary school, including targeted support for struggling readers and community-level engagement.

Access to books is also receiving greater national attention. In 2024, the Ministry of Education launched a Primary School Libraries Programme designed to expand access to quality reading materials and promote regular reading among primary students. Guyana Ministry of Education
The Library Project complements these efforts by expanding access to books and reading spaces in rural schools and community centers while supporting Literacy Programs, educators, and locally led nonprofit organizations.